Kumho injecting new blood into US range
Seven all-new tyre lines are set to enter the Kumho Tire USA portfolio in 2015, and the company says from now on it will refresh its North American range every year.
Continue ReadingSumitomo establishes Australian tyre sales company
Sumitomo Rubber Industries is saying g’day to Australia through a joint venture with Sumitomo Corporation to establish a tyre sales corporation in the country. Sumitomo Rubber Australia Pty. Ltd. is expected to begin operating in March 2015 and strengthen Sumitomo Rubber Industries’ replacement market consumer tyre sales in Australia. The Sydney-based office is being set up with a capital investment of AU$20 million (£10.6 million), with Sumitomo Rubber Industries and Sumitomo Corporation respectively holding a 75 per cent and 25 per cent share in the operation. Representative Kenichi Furuhama will manage approximately 60 Sumitomo Rubber Australia employees.
Continue ReadingTatneft’s Kazakhstan tyre logistics centre
You might not think of Kazakhstan as a centre of the international tyre industry and – on a global scale – it isn’t. However, in light of renewed reports of factory investment from Indonesian-based Multistrada as well as the historical context of Nokian’s ill-fated joint-venture there it is worth reporting a little of what else is going on in the country.
Continue ReadingAtlas Copco boost Bloodhound Project
The Bloodhound Project, an ambitious British bid to set a new world land speed record in a supersonic car, has received a power boost from Atlas Copco UK. The company has supplied a range of workshop compressors and air tools to the Bloodhound Technical Centre in Bristol and its associated test facility at Newquay Aerohub. The equipment will play a pivotal role in the development of the Bloodhound Supersonic Car, the jet engine and rocket powered racing car, as the team prepares for an attempt to set a new 1,000mph world land speed record in 2016.
Continue ReadingUS lab advocates tyre pyrolysis to supply EV batteries
Researchers at the US Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory are aiming are advocating tyre pyrolysis as a way of recovering carbon black for use as a graphite substitute in lithium-ion batteries. The goal is to scale up the recovery process and demonstrate applications as anodes for lithium-ion batteries in large-format “pouch cells”. These batteries could then be used in plug-in electric vehicles and to store energy produced by wind and solar sources.
Continue ReadingMultistrada signs Kazakhstan tyre factory contract
According to Indonesian news agency Antara News, tyre maker PT Multistrada Arah Sarana – manufacturer of the Achilles, Corsa and Strada tyre brands – has signed a contract to build a production facility in Kazakhstan. The agency quotes Kazakhstan’s ambassador to Indonesia, Ashkat Orazbay, as stating that “a contract has been signed between Multistrada Indonesia and a Kazakhstan-based company to build a tyre factory.” Antara News did not report the name of the Kazakhstani company or give any further details about the project.
Continue ReadingRMA submits tyre safety plan to US safety agency
On 9 December, the Rubber Manufacturers Association, the trade association representing tyre makers with a manufacturing presence in the US, offered its four-point plan to US Federal agency the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to help improve motorist safety. The NTSB is currently conducting a two-day symposium to discuss the contribution tyres can make to motor vehicle safety.
Continue ReadingIncorrect markings prompt Towmax tyre recall in North America
Canada’s Dynamic Tire Corp. is recalling almost 17,400 Towmax STR tyres that have been marked with incorrect load capacity and inflation pressure information. The size ST225/75 R15 tyres were manufacturing by Shandong Yongfeng Tyres in China between 15 June and 14 October 2014 and due to the incorrect sidewall markings do not comply with the requirements of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) 119, ‘New Pneumatic Tires for Vehicles Other Than Passenger Cars.’
Continue ReadingContinental producing first Taraxagum-based test tyres
Continental has produced a limited number of Russian dandelion rubber-based tyres for product development and testing purposes. The first products featuring the new natural rubber alternative will be winter tyres. Speaking at a press conference in London on Friday 5 December, David O’Donnell, senior vice president research and development for Continental’s tyre division, shared a number details relating to both the natural rubber replacement material and the tyre production strategy related to it.
Continue ReadingBridgestone a treble Honda environmental awardee
Honda builds vehicles at nine manufacturing facilities in the US, and has received original equipment tyres from Bridgestone Americas for many years. To honour the tyre maker’s green efforts, at its 22nd annual Environmental, Safety and Ergonomics Symposium, Honda acknowledged Bridgestone’s Wilson (North Carolina) tyre plant with three ‘Green Factory Environmental Achievement Recognitions’. Honda recognised the Wilson facility in three categories: energy reduction, natural resources and pollution prevention.
Continue ReadingChinese JV exit gives Cooper Tire flexibility to plan for a changing tyre market
In recent weeks and months, Roy Armes has voiced on a number of occasions that Cooper Tire & Rubber still views China as an important part of the company’s future plans, despite its experiences at the Cooper Chengshan Tire (CCT) joint venture factory in 2013. Most recently, the chairman, chief executive officer and president confirmed during a conference call on 4 December that the country “will continue to be an important part of our long-term growth strategy.” But that doesn’t mean Cooper Tire can’t or won’t adjust its activities in China to meet global market conditions. In light of a new round of tariff measures in the US, which came into effect shortly after Cooper Tire sold its 65 per cent share in CCT, the company has shifted some of its production from China to other global locations, and it will continue to do so should conditions favour this strategy.
Continue ReadingCarlos Ghosn re-elected as ACEA President
The board of directors of the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) has re-elected Carlos Ghosn, chairman and CEO of Renault, as its President for 2015. Speaking after his re-election, Ghosn said: “I am honoured that my colleagues on the Board have shown their continued confidence in me. 2014 is set to mark the first year of sales growth in the EU industry since 2007. Next year we will continue to push for a political environment that will help us sustain this growth.”
Continue Reading12% CAGR projected in Thailand tyre market
The tyre market in Thailand is forecast to grow at a CAGR of more than 12 per cent between 2014 and 2019. Anticipated double digit growth in automobile production, expanding automobile fleet size, upcoming important infrastructure developments and growth-focused initiatives being undertaken by the government are expected to propel tyre sales in the country through 2019.The two-wheeler tyre segment accounted for the largest market share in 2013, followed by commercial vehicle, passenger car and OTR tyre segments. While the two-wheeler tyre segment is expected to retain its dominance, in volume terms, in the Thailand tyre market, the passenger car tyre segment is expected to surpass the commercial vehicle tyre segment and capture the second largest market share by 2019.
Continue ReadingChengshan forms new JV with investment group
Prinx Chengshan (Shandong) Tire Company Ltd has succeeded Cooper Tires joint venture with Chengshan. The previous JV was dissolved when Cooper closed the sale of its 65 per cent share to Chengshan Group Company Ltd on 1 December. Unveiled at Reifen China 2014 in Shanghai, the new joint venture has been formed with Prairie Investment Company.
Continue ReadingPerformance Fibers selling Asia operations
On 7 December, Performance Fibers – one of the worlds leading producers of industrial polyester fibre and fabrics, and supplier to the tyre industry – signed a definitive agreement to sell its Asia operations to Indorama Ventures PCL (IVL), one of the worlds foremost petrochemical producers. Financial terms of the agreement, expected to close in the next few months, were not disclosed.
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